Hello ,
The true function of a preacher is to disturb the comfortable and to comfort the disturbed. Chad Walsh
In my ministry over the years, I have asked a great number of people what they feel my job as a pastor should entail. Here's a short compilation list of things that they thought were important for me to be involved in. It's not a complete list,
but you'll get the picture very quickly:
- Personal Bible Study
- Personal Prayer Time
- Prayer Meeting
- The weekly sermon
- Personal Bible studies with those who are interested
- Marriage Counseling
- Funerals
- Weddings
- Cleaning the physical church building
- Mowing the church yard
- Visitation of the sick
- Visitation of the widows and widowers
- Visitation of the members at large
- Leading the communion service
- Taking communion to the sick and hospitalized
- Fund-raising for various ministries
- Chairing board meetings
- Chairing business meetings
- Attending school board meetings
- Active participation with the youth
- Children's ministries
- Actively involved with my family
- Personally involved with the spirituality of my family
- Community involvement
- Community outreach
- Preaching evangelistic sermons
- Meeting regularly with ministerial boards in town
- Continuing formal ministerial education
- Counseling those that are spiritually struggling
- Being the peacemaking liaison between parties that are struggling
- Taking personal time to meditate and be with God
- Church maintenance and upkeep
- Showing up for every church event
There's
no doubt about it; when I was a pastor, being a pastor was a full time vocation, but if I were to be engaged in everything that everyone thought I should be involved in, there would not be enough hours in the week...and I had to sleep sometime!
My main job as a pastor (as I understood it,) was to work myself out of a job. It was to so work with the people that I was responsible for, and to so empower them in ministry, that my service could be used elsewhere.
The next time you're tempted to complain about your pastor, please stop and think about what God has called you to do with your time. If you need a refresher, come back and look at the list. There has to be at least something in the list that you could be
participating in.
There.
Did I make you uncomfortable?
It was always a part of my job. I had to do it. :)
Have a great day and God bless!
